


Attack of the Killer Garbage Haul

by DameoftheDark



Series: Dani Phantom [2]
Category: Danny Phantom
Genre: AU where danny sam and tucker are the opposite gender, F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-19
Updated: 2018-07-19
Packaged: 2019-06-12 19:09:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Underage
Chapters: 2
Words: 11,251
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15346614
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DameoftheDark/pseuds/DameoftheDark
Summary: After the reunion, Dani has been having a hard time concentrating on anything. She can't focus in school, listen to her friends effectively, and feels like she's loosing herself to some kind of urge she can't name. Nagging at her sub-conscious, Dani decides to, at first, ignore the odd and unknown desire. Then she encounters a ghost named Technus, who doesn't present too much of a problem---at first. When the strange urge preoccupies her one night, she forgets to empty the Fenton Thermos into the ghost portal, and instead leaves it on the table in the lab. Come next morning, Dani finds that Jazz threw it out with yesterday's trash, and must head to the dump to find it. Will she recover a Thermos full of Technus, or will she have to face an upgraded version of the spectral spook?





	1. Chapter 1

A week had passed since the reunion, and Dani could not have been more restless. She found it hard to focus in school, more so than usual, and her grades were certainly showing it. She failed her math test, flunked the P.E. physical, and completely forgot about her presentation in History, and had to explain in front of a bored group of soul searching adolescents that she was completely unprepared, earning a few snickers from Paulina and Valerie.

Where it only school, however. Dani also found in nearly impossible to pay attention to what other people were saying. Listening to a lecture? White noise. Parents asking to have the dishes done and garbage taken out? TV static. Friends asking whether or not she heard them? Peanuts adult noise.

Dani couldn’t focus on anything other than a nagging tug in the back of her mind. Constantly, she felt a powerful urge that she couldn’t explain. No matter what she did or who she was with, the poor teenager was subject to this odd and persistent impulse.

What made it even worse was the fact she didn’t understand where it came from.

All she knew was that the irritating mental distraction started the day after she left Wisconsin. When she awoke the next morning, the young girl, back in her own bed, saw her arm outstretched above her. It was as if she were reaching out for something. Something she couldn’t grasp but was desperately trying to.

She lay in her bed for a while, forgetting the fact that she had school and needed to get ready. Only after she heard Maddie call from down stairs did Dani launch herself from her bed. Throwing open her drawers, the heroine grabbed a light pink shirt with a grey cartoon rocket on the chest, then dashed over to a pile of jeans. She tossed several aside until she found a pair that didn’t have a stain on it. Thrashing around like a squirrel trapped in a net, Dani pulled the jeans up and with a zip, raced over to her door and down the stairs.

As she reached the living room, she heard Jack from the kitchen. Laughing in his usual boisterous way, he regaled Maddie with plans for a new ghost hunting device, one that would knock any ghost dead once again.

“I’m telling you, Maddie, this baby will pound those spooks into the dirt once it’s finished.”

Dani walked into the room, seeing her parents sitting around the table with plates of eggs and sausage at hand. Then she spied a plate and an empty chair and realized that this was her breakfast as well. Her baby blues observed the plain scrambled eggs and instant sausage and sighed to herself. It was too bad she didn’t have fluffy pancakes drowned in syrup like she did at the diner.

Nonetheless, she resigned herself to a simple meal, and sat down next to Jack. Upon seeing his daughter, Jack offered a toothy smile befitting the Jolly Orange Giant.

“Morning Kiddo! I hope you’re ready for any other learn-tastic day at school?”

“Learn-tastic?” Dani questioned.

“He means he hopes your prepared to get back into the swing of things,” Maddie explained.

The teenager took a spoon full of egg and shoved it in her mouth without tasting it.

“I can imagine how difficult that might be, after the weekend you had,” Jack sympathized.

Dani choked on her eggs and coughed like a dying animal. Her spoon had fallen onto her plate, emitting a sharp clang. Maddie and Jack stared at their daughter in confusion, but Dani gathered herself enough to clear her throat.

“W-what are you talking about? What weekend? My weekend was nice and normal, like any other! Just the usual! Nothing odd at all!” she panicked.

“What are **you** talking about, Dani? I meant the reunion!” Jack enlightened.

“What did you think we meant, hon?” Maddie laughed.

“N-nothing,” Dani said as she slumped in her chair.

_Yeah, completely normal. Not anything ghost-related, sure._

Dani finished her breakfast in silence while Jack and Maddie enthused about their latest invention. Once she finished, she sprinted out the door to meet up with Tucker and Sam at Casper High.

The young heroine had no reason to think that the next week would be any different, but she desperately wanted to be rid of the nagging urge that couldn’t be identified. As she walked home with Tucker and Sam, the young heroine groaned out loud, seemingly for all of Amity Park to hear.

Sam offered a sympathetic expression. “Gee Dani, I wish there was something we could do.”

“Yeah dude. You’re totally distracted. If this keeps up, you’ll have to repeat the 10th grade,” Tucker said.

“I know! But I just can’t focus on anything! I can barely even pay attention anymore! And I have no idea what’s causing this!”

“Maybe its ADHD?” Tucker guessed.

“Or perhaps its ghost related?” Sam suggested. “You’ve never had this kind of problem before, right?”

Dani gazed at her friend. “I don’t know. Since when did ghosts have a hard time focusing? They seem pretty attentive when trying to kick my butt across town.”

“I don’t know Dani, but Tucker’s right. You’ve got to get a handle on this soon. We have midterms coming up.”

The trio made their way into the Fenton residence, to be greeted by loud noises coming from the lab. All three stood in the living room, eyebrows raised, until the sounds stopped. Tucker opened her mouth, but then the noises started up again in rapid succession. Dani rolled her eyes and trekked up the stairs to her room, Sam and Tucker following close behind.

The young girl opened the door and chucked her backpack across the room. She walked over to her bed and flopped down upon the soft pink comforter, letting her head hit the pillow. Sam took a seat at Dani’s desk and Tucker dropped to the floor next to the bed, leaning against it with her back.

“Well, maybe we should put in more study hours. It’s obvious that what you’re doing now isn’t working for you.”

“That’s not the problem, Tuck. My study habits are not in question here. It’s this stupid nagging, irritating impulse! If I can just figure out what’s causing it…”

“When you say its nagging, what do you mean? Like, it won’t go away?”

“Yeah,” Dani began. “It’s always there. From when I awake up to I go to sleep, the urge never goes way. It’s feels like when you want something really, really bad. But this urge, this weird desire is persistent, and I could probably satisfy it if I knew what it was for.”

Sam contemplated, with his brow furrowed and a fist to his lips.

“And you’re sure it started last weekend?”

“Yes! Right after I got home from the college reunion,” Dani said in frustration.

“So, it has to have something to do with that. You said you had to fight a ghost, right? Maybe he did something weird to you and didn’t realize it at the time,” Tucker proposed.

_Well, not the kind of “weird thing” you’re thinking of, Tuck._

Dani turned around, now laying on her back and looking up at the ceiling. She hadn’t told her friends much about Vlad, only that he was an old friend of her dad’s and that he was as rich as all heck. She wasn’t sure how they’d react if she admitted he was a half ghost, just like her. In truth, she didn’t feel right telling them; it was Vlad’s secret, one that she was sure he wanted kept. He trusted her to know the truth, and last thing she wanted was to break his trust. However, she didn’t want to lie to her friends either, so she told them that she fought a strange ghost who wiped the floor with her. 

She didn’t think it was lying, just, not telling the whole story. Besides, if they didn’t ask, then she was telling the truth.

_Right?_

Right.

The trio hang around for half an hour, until Tucker got a call from her parents, telling her to come home. Tucker explained to Dani and Sam that her grandmother was coming over, so she needed to be home to greet her.

“But we are totally hitting the arcade this weekend, right?” she asked on her way out Dani’s door.

“Study first, then play,” Sam corrected.

“Argh.” Once Tucker was gone, Sam and Dani decided to study for a while, at least until Sam had to go home.

 

******************

 

The young heroine soared across the star-lit sky, feeling the cold wind caress her face and rush through her long white hair. All the street lights down below looked like glowing dots, illuminating small sections of the side walk with white circles. All the homes, however, stood dark, appearing lifeless. The occupants, Dani assumed, were all asleep at this hour, as she should be. Had she not been a half ghost with a responsibility of looking after the town, then yes, she too would be unconscious.

But Dani found the night to be comforting; she loved that no one was around, so she could fly around Amity Park without fear of being spotted. She also enjoyed the silence. The hustle and bustle of a busy day could really grate on the eardrums.

Despite knowing that she would no doubt get distracted, she still wanted to fight the ghosts that presented a danger to the town, so the teenager promised herself that no matter how hard it would be, she would not succumb to the strange impulse.

The young girl drifted over to Axion Labs, letting out a deep breath that she hadn’t realize she was holding.

“Alright Dani, focus.”

She landed on the roof and looked from right to left. Her ghost sense hadn’t gone off all night, and as it was nearing 2 in the morning, Dani was ready to call it quits.

“Well, I haven’t encountered any ghosts tonight. Heh, maybe they’re all asleep too,” she chuckled before yawning,

Then, in mid yawn, her ghost sense went off.

“Ow! O.K., that was weird.”

For a moment, Dani saw and heard nothing, but then she witnessed a flash of green whiz by her. The young girl turned around and saw a ghost with crazy Einstein-inspired hair wearing a grey lab coat over a white button up and black tie. He also wore green gloves that matched his skin tone.

“Well hello there, young one. I am Technus, Master of All Things Electronic and Technological!”

“Oh no,” Dani began, in a warning tone. “You’re not going to use the technology in this lab to try and take over the world!”

“Wha…?” Technus said before looking at the building below him. “That’s a great idea!”

Technus turned intangible and flew down into the building. Dani followed suit and found him in a room full of computers encircling the main power grid. The grid reached from floor to ceiling and looked like a giant cylinder covered in flashing green lights that traveled across its surface. The ghost laughed as his hands emitted a ghostly aura, an aura which soon encased every computer in the lab. Technus launched the monitors at Dani, who dodged without issue. Responding in kind, Dani fired a blot of energy at the ghostly geek, hitting him in the abdomen and sending him into the wall.

He rebounded quickly though, summoning another wave of monitors and processers, but also picked up a few calculators and hard drives. Technus hurled the electronics at Dani once more, who managed to escape a majority of the projectiles, save for a large computer that slammed into her. She was sent backward and nearly hit the wall, but at the last second, she turned intangible and went right through. Upon touching the floor on the other side, the heroine placed the now broken computer down, glared, and took off after Technus again.

Phasing through the wall, Dani saw the ghost gathering every electronic in the building; computers, screens, remotes, and multiple other devices flew in streams into the room via four open doors. All the devices were surrounded with Technus’s aura and startled to circle him, as if he were a magnet. As this occurred, the ghost laughed to himself, looking rather proud.

Dani flew straight for Technus, only to be stopped by a shield generated by the encircling tech. He laughed a bit louder, and said: “Surely, you don’t think you can defeat me, do you small child?”

The teenager growled, and flew around the shield, firing blots of ectoplasmic energy in an attempt to break it.

“The only ‘small’ thing here is your chance at success! I’ll break that barrier and stop you!”

“Ah ha ha! Don’t make me laugh, child.”

Dani blinked several times. “Uh, you just did.”

“Huh. You’re right. Well never mind! You cannot defeat Technus, Lord of all Technology! And once I have beaten you here, I shall use the main power grid to increase my power and infect every computer in the world with my virus, and then absorb all the knowledge within them in order to establish myself as the ruler of this, **and** the electronic world!”

Dani fired blasts of energy with both hands, but the barrier was still intact.

_There’s got to be a way to break through. His power is derived from technology, and technology needs a power source of its own._

 She looked around, until she saw a cable pocking out from behind the largest computer in the stream. Her azure orbs followed the cord until she spotted an outlet.

_There!_

She rocketed over to the outlet and shot a small beam of green light at it. The outlet short circuited, sparked, and fizzled out.

Suddenly, the shield went down, and alarm spread across Technus’s features.

“What?! What has happened to my impregnatable shield?!”

“Your shield has been taken down, and now **you’re** going down!”

Technus growled at Dani and threw all his remaining electronics in her direction. The young heroine was able to dodge with ease, however, and flew up to Technus and punched him square in the jaw. The spectral menace reeled back and shot Dani with his own beam of energy. As the beam made contact, Dani felt a quick, sneering pain on her chest.

The blast caused her to summer salt in the air. Once she stopped, she hovered and pressed her arm to her chest. But Technus wouldn’t give her moment to pause; he gathered all the electronics in the room, including the ones he had used on her earlier. With a laugh, he thrust them forward. Dani gasped, and maneuvered out of the way of the collection of tech. Then, as she was dodging the last of Technus’s barrage, she pulled out the Fenton Thermos.

“Soup? You’re going to defeat me with soup?” Technus asked in genuine confusion.

“Luckily for you, this isn’t soup. But it **is** a device that will hold you until I can send you back through the ghost portal.”

“But that is a technological instrument, which you cannot use against **me**! For I am Technus, Master of---”

“Yeah yeah, I got it the first time,” Dani deadpanned as she opened the Thermos, releasing the funnel shaped blue light.

Technus screamed, and flew up to the ceiling, but the light caught him before he could escape. The funnel pulled at his spectral form, making him look like a stretched piece of taffy.

He continued to wail as he was sucked further and further down.

“This isn’t over, child! I’ll come back, and when I do, you will know the wrath of Technus, Master of All Things---” he exclaimed as he was finally pulled into the Fenton Thermos.

Dani capped the Thermos and looked around the room, seeing just how trashed it was.

“Yikes. I pity the poor guy who has to clean this up.”

The teenager turned intangible and phased through the ceiling, flying out from the roof of Axion Labs. Without another thought, Dani flew back home, wishing to dispose of the Technus and return to her nice warm bed.

 

*****************

 

Dani awoke the next morning to her fathers booming voice from the living room.

“Dani! How many times have I asked you to clean out the shed?! You’d better take care of that right now, young lady!”

With a groan, the girl rolled off the bed and onto the floor, face pressed against the wood.

_Not how I wanted to be woken up from my staggering three hours sleep. Its Saturday! Come on!_

She hauled herself into a sitting position and yawned, stretching her arms up in the air. Then she pulled her arms down and stretched them slightly behind her back, feeling her spine pop. Letting out a satisfying sigh, she rose and walked over to her dresser. Dani rummaged around until she found a plain white V-neck, and slipped it on. Regarding pants, she quickly stepped into the pair she had worn the day before. Then she slid her feet into her favorite pair of converse and left her room.

The tired teenager found Maddie at the bottom of the stairs, arms crossed and frowning.

“Your father is waiting in the backyard, Dani.”

“Got it.”

Dani jogged passed her mother and made her way outside. She noted how the air was colder than yesterday; a sure sign that winter was coming.

_Great._

The young girl walked over to Jack, who’s back was to her, as he was bent over in the shed. He moved a large box out from in front of him and placed it adjacent to the side of the wooden structure. At this action, he caught eye of Dani, who stood with her arms draped in front of her, hands intertwined.

“Now Dani, I’ve told you numerous times to clean out the shed. Three times this last week! But did you do it?”

“No, but I can explain!” Dani insisted.

“Uh uh, I don’t want to hear your excuses,” he began before turning to her. “When I ask you to do something Dani, I expect it to get done. Be lucky it wasn’t your mother who asked you, or you would be regretting this for months to come.”

Dani adopted a worried expression. “I’m sorry.”

“Look, I’m not trying to be the bad guy, kiddo, but as a parent I have to teach you to respect responsibility and do what you’re told.” Now, just this once, I’ll help you clean out half of the shed, but you’d better do the rest yourself.”

“O.K., I promise,” Dani said with a meek smile.

“Good! Alright then, lets get this started!”

 

**************

 

Her pale pink wristwatch read 4:30, and Dani was willing to bet that she would be at this for another half hour. She had been cleaning the shed on her own for the last two hours. Who knew how much junk her dad owned?

Most the boxes were filled with broken appliances, old electronics, and failed ghost hunting inventions from years ago. Everything was coated in layers of dust; dust and cob webs. And Dani was just waiting for a spider to pop out and jump onto her shirt or into her hair and bite her, leaving her die of a horrible infection caused by the poisonous venom that would most definitely clog her veins and flood her brain.

Fighting ghosts was one thing, but spiders? She didn’t do spiders.

Dani wobbled out of the shed, carrying a box containing even more electronics. She hauled it over to a section of backyard she had designated for herself as the trash area, and then plopped it down next to the other boxes. The young heroine wiped her forehead with the back of her hand and released a long, drawn out breath.

 _Finally! The shed is empty!_ _Now I just have to drag the boxes of junk over to the curb in front of the house._

Dani looked at the twenty or so boxes of said junk in front of her.

“Crud.”

Dani plopped herself down in the grass, legs crossed and head up, facing the orange-ish-pink sky. The clouds looked like thin and long whisps drifting along the twilight firmament. The chilled air carried with it the changing leaves and promises of an abnormally cold winter.

Though such a scene would usually ease Dani’s racing mind, she sadly found herself once again the victim of her nagging impulse. It hadn’t bothered her much for the majority if her labor, for she was finally able to distract herself with thoughts akin to; “How can Dad have this much junk?” and “Where did it all come from?”, as well as “Why didn’t he just throw this out a long time ago?” But then she realized that that was what kids were for, and had chuckled to herself.

The nagging urge was licking at the back of her mind again, so Dani decided to sit with it. The whole time she had it, she was trying to ignore it. But, she thought, perhaps if she just listened to the urge, blocking out everything else for a while, then she may be able to discover its source, or what it demanded.

Determined, Dani lay down on the grass, her face looking up at the sky. She closed her eyes, focusing, though she knew not what on, exactly. For a few minutes, she remained still.

Deep in her mind, the young girl heard a faint voice, or rather, a faint instinct, the kind of instinct that one rationalizes as a voice. It bid her to do something, but she didn’t know what. So, she focused harder. It demanded that she do something, to go find something. Dani scrunched her face, forming a tight grimace.

_Find what?_

She searched her brain, attempting to make sense of the senseless. The girl focused harder still. The impulse, she figured, was a desire, a strong one at that. But what for?

It beckoned her. It pulled at her mind and yanked at her senses, suddenly become all consuming. Dani felt like she was drowning in invisible water; she found it harder to breath and her lungs began to burn. This burning spread and suddenly the invisible water turned to fire. The teenager, for an instant, was convinced the temperature had skyrocketed. However, since it was in the late September, Dani realized that this was unlikely. Nonetheless, her entire body was burning up and the desire became a **need**.

Still unsure as to what the need was for, Dani took a deep breath, and ventured further into her mind, determined not be scared off. She could feel the heat radiating off her skin, the sweat building, and the ragged breaths being caught in her throat, but she was adamant about learning the truth. It was a need for something, but for what? What could she need so badly that would cause this concerning reaction?

Perhaps she wasn’t supposed to learn? Maybe she was meant to ignore it? Was Sam right? Was it some ghost thing? Or perhaps she was having this reaction because she was only half ghost?

Dani wasn’t sure of anything at this point, save for one thing; she needed **something** and she needed it NOW.

Suddenly her heart began to pound, but it was painful. Dani launched into a sitting position and held her chest, gasping and grunting. Her entire chest felt like it was being pummeled by a hammer, along with being on fire. Tears licked at the edges of her eyes.

“S-stop! It hurts!” she gasped out.

Dani tried to stand, hoping that she could get to the kitchen and get a glass of ice water. But her right leg had fallen asleep, so she tumbled back into the grass. Rolling onto her side, she curled into the fetal position and held her chest tighter.

_I have to ignore it! I have to ignore the urge!_

The poor girl attempted to focus her mind on anything; what her mother was making for dinner, what Jazz might be reading right now, what Sam and Tucker where doing, but nothing helped. She was lost in a cacophony of longing that she didn’t understand, and it scared her. I also hurt her.

“H-help…”

_What is it that I need?! Why does it hurt so much?! Can someone, ANYONE, help me?!?!_

_Anyone._

_Someone._

Suddenly, and mysteriously, it all become clear.

_I need…I need **someone**. But who…? _

The painful longing Dani felt slowly began to recede, as if the understanding on its own relieved the agony. Soon she was able to stand again.

“O.K. then, so that answers that question. But **who** is the person I need?” Dani asked herself, then immediately cringed.

_That is, by far, the oddest, and most embarrassing sentence that has come out of my mouth. But I guess that’s beside the point. Why did that hurt so bad? It felt like I was going to melt away, or burst into flames, **then** melt away. And my chest… it ached. Ached like a longing would. Like that saying; when you want something so much it hurts. But why was it so painful? Who could I possible need so badly? _

At her vaguely impure thought, Dani blushed. She was thankful that no one saw this, that odd little fit. Would she tell Sam and Tucker about this? Why bother? They may not understand anyway. But then again, they didn’t understand her ghost powers either, but she told them that. Then another question popped into the young girl’s mind: was this related to her ghost powers after all? She had asked herself this before, as had Sam, but Dani still wasn’t sure. However, one thing was clear, it was painful, and it might happen again. The teenager picked herself up and brushed at the grass stains on her knees. Then she looked over at the boxes, realizing that she still needed to drag them to the curb.

She groaned.

 

************** 

 

Sam and Tucker stood outside the Fenton residence, marveling at all the boxes of useless junk on the curb. Each of them was filled to the brim with said junk, creating what looked like tiny sky scrappers made out of trash. Tucker wheeved in between the boxes and nodded in genuine amazement.

“Wow, Dani, your dad really owned this much stuff in that shed? And you had to drag it all out here yourself?” she said once she found Dani sitting on the front steps.

“Yup,” the young girl replied.

“Why didn’t you give us a call? We could’ve helped you,” Sam stated.

“Nah. Besides, my dad helped me clear out half of it.”

“Wow! Sam, look at this! He had a first-generation PDA! These things are like dinosaurs now!” Tucker exclaimed, picking up the broken and dusty device.

Dani looked at her friends, and sighed through her nose. She didn’t want to alarm them with what happened to her, and she felt way too embarrassed to tell them anyway. She still couldn’t comprehend it, but the more she thought about it, the more convinced she got that it could be ghost related. After all, it hadn’t started until after she left Vlad’s place. Perhaps Skulker had infected her with something weird when she wasn’t looking? Did that box do something? Either way, the ghost girl wanted to get to the bottom of what she was now calling “The Need”.

“So, now that you’re done with your forced manual labor, lets head for the arcade. I hear they got a knew Crash Nebula game!”

“No thanks Tuck, I’m kinda maxed out here,” Dani responded, looking at her shoes.

“What should we do instead?” asked Sam. “You finished your studying, right?”

The young heroine glared up at her goth friend. “No, and I don’t want to today. I’m too tired.”

“Really? This tired you out? Man, Dani, you gotta hit the gym or something,” Tucker teased.

The ghost girl said nothing, but looked up at the darkening sky.

“Well, maybe we can watch a movie? There has to be one in your house we haven’t seen yet,” Sam offered.

“I don’t know guys, I think I’m just gonna call it a day. Today was really exhausting for me, and all I want to do is get some sleep.”

“Sure dude, it’s O.K. We can drop by tomorrow,” Tucker said smiling.

“Thanks guys, you’re the best,” Dani replied before yawning.

Tucker and Sam left with a wave, and Dani made the trek back to her room. Even though it was only 6 o’clock, the young girl felt like she had pulled an all-nighter and was desperately craving some shut eye. Once in her room, she kicked off her shoes and leaped for the bed, not bothering to remove her day clothes.

 

*****************

 

Jazz picked up a goo-covered box of busted appliances with a grunt. Heaving, she dropped it onto the floor in front of her and wiped her forehead with an arm. Jack had asked her to assist Maddie in cleaning out the lab for trash day, to which she replied; “Then shouldn’t it all go?”

Glaring into the box before her, Jazz contemplating leaving it and finding something a little less heavy to carry outside. Stepping around it, she saw her mother bent over a bunch of boxes with similarly questionable substances leaking from them. Cringing, she slowly walked over to her mother.

“Need any help with that?”

“No thanks dear, I’ve got it,” Maddie replied without turning around. “Just focus on clearing off that table over there.”

“Which one?”

Maddie, without a word, pointed to her right, and Jazz followed with her eyes. Then she saw the long table adjacent to the ghost portal. However, confusion took over her features; the table was already clear.

She made her way over to it and noticed one lone device sitting atop the table.

The Fenton Thermos.

“Everything on this table was to be pitched, right?” Jazz asked without looking at Maddie.

“That’s right.”

The older teen looked at the Thermos, then the heavy box behind her, then shrugged. She took the Thermos and exited the lab, walking up the stairs to the living room and to the front door. After opening it, she nonchalantly tossed the Thermos into one of the boxes, and then closed the door. However, the Thermos hit a slime covered bar that was sticking up horizontality, causing it to hit the sidewalk with a thud. Suddenly, the word RELEASE flashed on the side of the canaster and the cap flew off. A ghostly aura escaped the Fenton Thermos, morphing into Technus.

The ghost shook his head, clearly dazed. “What the---?”

He looked around, seeing the vast amount of abandoned electronics.

“Well, it must be my birthday!” he chirped.

His gloved hands emitted ghostly energy, one that spread to all the electronics and appliances packed in the boxes. The green energy seeped into the cracks, the dents, and the exposed portions of all the broken devices, and slowly the flaws were being repaired. Then Technus raised his arms into the air, and the tech started to encircle the ghost, brining a laugh out of him.

“I believe it is time to show that child how to **properly** use this technology,” he announced to no one other than himself.

Technus cackled as the now perfect electronics encased his ghostly form, creating a growing black body with red lines traveling across the surface. But as the machine-like body was forming, Technus began to fade away, his ominous laugh echoing in the darkening street


	2. Chapter 2

“Should I?” the young girl asked herself.

She was staring at her cell phone, carefully tucked in her palm; the sleek surface cool against her agitated skin.

“I want to…but… **should** I?”

The small flip phone sat closed, with the digital clock looking at her face. It read 9:35 AM.

Dani squirmed in her spot on the bed. She sat hunched over, kicking her legs in a feeble attempt to distract herself from the raging turmoil within. Her heart was beating a little faster than normal, and her stomach cramped from the butterflies she was feeling. The girl knew her nerves were unjustified in their intensity, but she couldn’t help but succumb to the silly adolescent fears of rejection and hyperactive overthinking. Already, Dani was overcome with school worries like bullies and grades, but now she had a full-blown crush on her hands. She was staring to doubt her ability to be able to handle all the pungent emotions.

Vlad had given her is cell phone number, so they could stay in contact. He told her that he was eager to get started with her training, and that she could contact him at any time. Despite this, she hadn’t tried to text or call him since the reunion. In truth, Dani was for too nervous to know what to say. She had assumed, of course, that the act of trading numbers was strictly for professional purposes, so feeling so excited and anxious was incredibly silly. Nonetheless, the young ghost girl was overjoyed to have his number as one of her contacts.

Dani let her waist give in, thereby falling onto the bed. She clenched her phone in her fist and held it to her chest. Closing her eyes, Dani let out a deep breath in an effort to calm her nerves for good.

“I want to talk to him, but he may be busy. But it **is** Sunday, so maybe not?”

Suddenly her phone vibrated, causing a ripple of vibration through her fist. Startled, Dani dropped the phone on her chest, were it shuddered in between her “ladies”.

“Ah! O.K.! That’s enough!”

She grabbed it, and then rolled up into a sitting position. Dani quickly crossed her legs and opened her phone. Upon the small screen was a text from Tucker. It read: _//Arcade right?//_

Dani sighed from disappointment.

_//Sure///_

_//Awesome! Meet us there in 15//_

The young heroine pocketed her cell phone and grabbed her pink hoodie that was lying across her desk chair. As she walked, she put the garment on and strode down stairs to the front door. Just before she opened it, Dani stopped.

_That’s right. I need the Thermos._

The young girl turned around and jogged through the kitchen to get to the lab. She hopped down the steps and entered the now clean room. There weren’t anymore broken electronics or overflowing beakers, failed projects or piles of plans and blueprints.

Nor was there a thermos.

Dani raced across the room to the table where she had set it down. Her baby blues scanned the width of the table, but found nothing on it but loose papers and questionable stains from years past.

“Oh great! Jazz must have thrown it away when she was helping mom yesterday!”

Dani raced back up the stairs.

_If the trash has already been picked up, then it would be miles away by now!_

She dashed across the living room and threw open the front door. She was greeted by a clear sidewalk; one void of boxes and useless junk. The strength in her legs wavered, causing Dani to lean all her weight against the doorway. Suddenly, she felt utterly defeated. 

“Wonderful. It’ll take me hours to search the dump for the Thermos!”

Her phone vibrated once more, so Dani reached into her pants pocket. Flipping it open, she saw another text, but from Sam. It read: _//Tucker txted you right? U know we’re still going to the arcade?//_

_//Change in plans. The Thermos is gone and I need to go find it//_

_//gone?! gone where?! wat happened??//_

_//Jazz threw it away. I have to go to the dump and try to find it b4 it gets incinerated//_

_//geez! OK, we’ll help you. just tell us when to be there//_

_//B there as soon as u can. I’ll already b there//_

_//gotcha!//_

 

***************

           

Zipping through the sky, Dani appeared as little more than a white and black whisp, making its way high above at super natural speeds. This was something that the young teenager prided herself in. Her speed was second to none, and many of her enemies had trouble catching up to her if she was already in the air. To on lookers, she looked like an abnormal flash of light, or some kind of large laser beam. To her enemies, she was an annoyance, a very, very, **very** fast annoyance.

No doubt Technus thought the same, when she got her hands on him. The ghost girl bet that he was regretting his choice to antagonize her by now, seeing as he was stuck in the ghost zone with no way out. He was probably kicking himself, thinking that he shouldn’t known better than to mess with her.

Dani smirked.

“Heh. He’s probably vowing revenge or something. But its kinda pointless, what with him being in the…ghost…zone…”

She stopped.

“What a minute. I **did** release him into the ghost zone…right?”

The heroine searched her memories. She recalled bringing the Fenton Thermos home and flying down into the lab. She transformed, then walked over to a rather cluttered table, after which she had remarked on the matter. She placed the Thermos down, and muttered something along the lines of: “I’d hate to be Jazz tomorrow.”

Then she had noticed how chaotic the lab really looked. She walked around the room, making note of how Jazz and Maddie would have their hands full in the morning. It couldn’t be debated how messy and disorganized Jack was, and sadly the two women would have to deal with the aftermath of the man’s disordered pursuits.

Dani also noted how, in a strange way, the lab seemed to represent her state of mind. It was messy, jumbled, without order. Ever since she had gotten her powers, her mind was all over the place; trying to keep her school life as normal as possible, attempting to maintain a good grade point average, keeping her parents ignorant of the change, trying to keep Amity Park safe. She began to wonder how she had been able to keep herself together these past several months.

But now she had another thing to add to her already overflowing baggage.

The teenager massaged her temples. Truly, this new distraction was nothing short of a nuisance, especially since she was still unable to identity it.

Then she yawned.

_I don’t want to think about this right now. It always seems to make me more tired._

With that thought, Dani had left to go to bed.

“Are you kidding me?! I forgot to send Technus back into the ghost zone! I allowed myself to get distracted over something so stupid?! The Need preoccupied me again!!”

Now Dani felt like kicking herself. Instead, she raced to the city dump, with a powerful conviction. She swore that she would let the Need distract her no longer; she would never allow it to keep her from being the hero she was trying to be. And in order to do that, she knew that she would have to, once again, dive deep into her subconscious.

This scared her. Considering her reaction from the last time, Dani was not looking forward to doing it again. After all, it was far more than just unpleasant. However, she was able to learn one thing from that painful experience.

_If I can endure it for just a little longer than last time, I should be able to get to the bottom of it once and for all. I should be able to learn who the person I “need” is._

           

***************

 

The dump was massive; mountains of abandoned and useless items littering every inch of the expansive space. Dani knew she had her work cut out for her. Finding the Thermos would be no simple task, but the young heroine knew that the fate of the town, and everyone she loved, depended on her finding that Thermos.

She drifted through the hills of trash, scanning the floor with her eyes. She sized up the piles, visualizing the Thermos and attempting to match it to the things she was seeing.

“Nothing yet,” she mumbled.

Suddenly she felt her phone vibrate. Believing it to be another text from Sam or Tucker, Dani decided to ignore it. She assumed they were at the entrance to the dump and were wondering if she had made it yet.

“It would just be faster if I met them there,” she said. “The entrance isn’t to far behind me.”

She began to fly back, but she noticed that her phone was still vibrating in her side pocket. Puzzled, she reached into the pocket and pulled out the silver disruption. She wasn’t receiving a text, but a phone call. Were they that worried that they would call instead of sending a text message? Or maybe they couldn’t get the gate to open? After releasing a quick sigh, Dani flipped it open with a flick of her wrist, then brought the cell phone to her ear.

“What’s up guys?”

“Hello Danielle.”

Dani halted. Her gut ached with anxiety, but also excitement.

“V-vlad?”

“Indeed, little badger.”

The young girl clenched the fabric of her jumpsuit. Her fist sat just above her heart, which pounded just above it’s normal rate. Dani couldn’t help but smile sweetly into the receiver of her cell phone.

“Hi! How are you?”

“I’m well, thank you,” Vlad responded warmly. “How are you fairing?”

“I-I’m great! I’m just happy to hear your voi---I mean---I’m glad you called! It’s nice to hear from you again, you know, since its been a while. Not like I was waiting or anything, ‘cause I wasn’t---but not because I didn’t want to hear from you---cause I did, but you know, like any normal person would.”

He laughed. “I understand, Danielle. I apologize for not calling sooner. Unfortunately, I had some very important business meetings and a conference I had to attend. I hope you have been practicing with your powers?”

“If you count nightly patrol, then yes.”

He sighed into her ear. Dani felt a slight shiver go down her spine.

“No I don’t, Danielle. You need to set some time aside for training purposes. It will be easier once I am settled in Amity Park. I will be able to help you, but you need to practice on our own until I get there.”

“Wait, you’re moving to Amity Park?” she asked with a hint of anticipation.

“Yes.”

The teenager could have squealed.

_I can’t believe he’s coming to my Amity Park!_

“Everything has been finalized. I will be moving in some time next week. If all goes accordingly, it should be on Wednesday or Thursday.”

“Yeah? I bet you bought the biggest house in the richest neighborhood,” Dani presumed with a grin.

“Well well, I had no idea that ghosts had the power to read minds,” Vlad said jokingly. “And over such a far distance.”

Dani giggled. “You’re not that hard to figure out.”

“Is that right?”

“You’re a rich guy, and one that only accepts the best. You expect the best.”

“Quite so. Very astute of you, little badger.”

Dani began to drift again, but her focus was far from her friends, Technus, and the Thermos.

“Why are you moving, anyway?

 _Is it to be closer to me?_  

“I need to be closer to you, so I can properly train you. I realize that having ghost powers as well as ghost portals would make travel a little easier for us, but it would be better if I was nearby. After all, I can’t ask you to move here to Wisconsin, now can I?”

“Right,” Dani replied, disappointment visible in her features.

“Being in the same town would allow me more time to work with you, without having to worry about making it back in time for meetings or other business related matters,” Vlad explained matter-of-factly.

“Yeah. Makes sense.”

“Is something wrong?”

The young heroine shook her head, despite knowing that Vlad was not there to see it.

“No no! I’m good! Nothing’s wrong.”

“Little badger, you shouldn’t lie to me. If I’m to be any help to you, you need to be truthful with me. The student and mentor relationship is nothing without a foundation of trust and honesty.”

“Well…” she trailed off. What could she say? Vlad was right, but she wasn’t about to tell him that she was hoping for something more personal.

Then it hit her.

She still had a job to do! She had to find the Thermos!

“Actually, I lost the Fenton Thermos, and I’m at the dump right now trying to find it.”

“Why is it at the dump?”

“’Cause Jazz is a clueless pain,” Dani huffed.

“I don’t follow.”

“I left the Thermos in the lab the other night, and when Jazz was helping mom clean up, she thought the Thermos was trash, and chucked it in with the piles at the curb. What’s even worse is there’s a ghost in it still.”

“I see. Is there any chance that the ghost could escape?”

“I don’t think so. Why?”

Silence.

“Vlad?”

“Forgive me, I was thinking. Do you need any help?”

Dani felt her heart skip a beat. She released her hold on her jumpsuit and ran her hand through her long white hair. If Technus was still inside the Thermos, then there was no need to bother Vlad with something so minor. However, if he **had** somehow escaped, then perhaps she could use some aid.

_No. I can handle a creep like Technus. He wasn’t even that hard to beat last time._

“No thanks. I can handle it.”

“Very well,” Vlad began. “But don’t hesitate to call me if you do. That’s why I’m here, after all.”

The young heroine blushed. Once again, she smiled into the receiver. To her, it was obvious that he was just being nice, but Dani appreciated every bit of it. Just hearing his voice was enough to make her heart soar. Her mind was also at east too, despite the fact the Thermos was still missing. For once, the buzz in her head was quiet, practically nonexistent. She could think clearly again. She could focus her mind. In fact, Dani felt she could focus on anything she wanted to again.

Then her ghost sense went off.

“Uh, sorry Vlad, I need to go.”

“What is it? Why the urgency?” Vlad responded quickly.

“Ghost nearby, but don’t worry. I can handle it,” Dani stated before hanging up. She immediately regretted it, but she needed to find the ghost, who she was starting to think wasn’t the box ghost.

The young girl drifted passed a couple mountains of trash when a toaster slammed right into her face. With a yelp, she was forced back slightly. Dani yanked the offending appliance from her face and tossed it behind her. Suddenly, however, it came back like a boomerang, hitting her in the backside.

“Ow!”

Large amounts of trash started to fly into the air; washer and dries, remote controls, televisions, refrigerators, toaster ovens, video game consoles, and computers began to converge a few feet in front of Dani. Encircling a random spot in the air, they tangled around the space, wheeving and twisting, bounded by a ghostly green light.

Dani watched as the tech spread out, fashioning what looked like a torso and limbs. But as this phenomenon occurred, a disembodied laugh echoed from the center to the forming torso.

“Technus!” Dani yelled.

“Aha ha! Yes, it is I! Technus, Master of all Things technological and appliance related!” the ghost declared as he appeared in the previously empty space. The technology from the torso suddenly reached out, connecting with four detached limbs. The ends of the limbs grew into large fists and feet-like appendages. Then, standing before the young half ghost, was a 20 -foot-tall black mechanical body with a square head and red eyes.

“Do not think you can defeat me so easily again, child. I have far more power than last time. And with this new body, I will continue to add even more powerful computers in order to take over the world wide web and the world! I shall also defeat you, of course, first.”

“I don’t think so, Technus! Bigger doesn’t always mean better,” Dani proclaimed.

“Ah, but the bigger they are, the harder they fall, yes?” Technus asked before opening his palm and holding out his arm in Dani’s direction. A red beam startled building up, and mere seconds later, fired at the young girl.

Dani dodged, flying out the way just in the nick of time. The beam collided with a tower of garbage, blowing the whole thing to smithereens. The young heroine winced at the sight.

“Yikes,” she muttered.

Technus readied another, charging the beam in his hand. Dani countered then, launching ectoplasmic rays at his hand. The attacks did not faze him, as they bounced right off. Instead, Dani’s beams hit other piles of trash. Growling, Dani raced to the giant mechanical form and continuously fired energy blasts at random spots. Then Technus attacked; the beam fired from his palm that had been following Dani as she flew around him. Upon impact, the teenager felt electricity course through her body, charging up every cell and molecule with agony. She screamed, and fell onto the ground, holding herself.

“Ha ha! It is as I told you, ghost child. You cannot defeat me!” Technus reiterated triumphantly.

“Well, too bad for you then,” Dani started, in between breaths. “I don’t give up easily. You’re gonna have to deal with me for as long as it takes to take you down!”

Technus growled and punched the ground where Dani was lying. But when he brought this fist up a bit, she was no where to be seen. Confused, the ghost looked around him. Then the young girl appeared out of nowhere and landed a powerful kick to his face. The blow sent him staggering back, but he did not fall down. The geeky ghost responded in kind, opening both his palms and shooting energy blasts at the young teenager. She flew around them, however. As she wheeved and swerved Dani blasted random spots on Technus’s body again. Just as before, unfortunately, her attacks were useless.

_I don’t understand. He doesn’t have a shield up like last time, so why can’t I destroy this stupid body? When he fused with the tech, did it become more than just a body? Is it like a fortress?_

That was when Dani heard her name being called. She turned around and saw Tucker and Sam running in her direction. She flew down to greet her friends.

“Whoa…was is that?” Tucker asked in awe.

“Technus, a technology ghost. I fought him the other night but forgot to send him back in the ghost zone. Jazz threw the Thermos out so now he’s here.”

“So we need to find the Thermos while you fight him off,” Sam presumed.

“Well I certainly can’t do both,” Dani retorted with a smirk.

Technus’s foot came down upon them, causing Dani to grab her friends and dive out of the way.

“Oh, look at that! A couple of bugs that need squishing,” Technus mocked.

“I’m afraid the only bugs are in your software!” Dani countered. “Guys, go! I’ll keep him away from you.”

“But where are we supposed to start? There’s got to be miles and miles of trash to go through!” Tucker exclaimed.

“Now’s not the time for complaining, Tucker. We need to find the Thermos so Dani can capture Technus,” Sam stated.

“You shall fail!” Technus announced. “That strange Thermos of which you speak of is far from your reach, lost in that mound over by the incinerator!”

Sam and Tucker shared a glance, then looked back up at Technus.

“Thanks!” they replied in unison, then dashed over to the incinerator just off the front gate.

“Well, darn,” the giant ghost said.

“You know, you shouldn’t give away things like that. Your plans too,” Dani stated.

“Never mind! You still cannot beat me, for I am Technus, Master over mechanical and electronical appliances and instruments! And soon this world shall be under **my** control as well!”

 “Yeah, O.K., heard it the last hundred times you’ve said it. No need to repeat it,” Dani replied, rolling her eyes.

Sam and Tucker had found their way to the incinerator and were looking around for the pile Technus had pointed to. Sam turned around and spotted a pile that was the closest to the incinerator and just happened to be the only one near it. He grabbed Tucker by the sleeve and said: “There it is. Now we just need to find the Fenton Thermos.”

“In that mess? I don’t know Sam, this might take longer than we thought. Dani needs our help with Technus.”

“And that’s exactly what we’re going to give her. Look over the right side, and I’ll take the left,” the goth directed with his pointer finger.

The two got to work looting through the massive heap of garbage, tossing certain items out of the way. Tucker ran her arm into the middle of the pile and felt around. Sticking her tongue out for concentration, she wiggled her arm around and reached with her fingers. When she felt something slimy in her palm she stuck her tongue out fully and squeezed her eyes shut.

“Dani is gonna owe us **big** for this,” she grumbled.

Sam chucked a large garbage bag out of the way and let out a grunt. Turning his head back to the brawl, he saw Dani still attempting to breach Technus’s upgraded body. Shot after shot, punch after punch, nothing would create so much as a crack in his armored shell. Sam winced as Dani kicked Technus’s abdomen, only to be flicked into the dirt like an ant.

“Fat lotta good the Thermos will do if we can’t destroy that body,” he remarked.

“Funny, I was thinking the same thing,” said Tucker. “I mean, how can we capture him if he’s in there. That body is like some kind of fortress.”

“He’s got to have some kind of weakness. Maybe he’s plugged into an outlet or something, or is running on a battery. If that’s the case, then Dani will have to tire him out; drain his battery so he can’t fight anymore.”

“Yeah, but what are the odds of that? And being plugged in, how anti-climactic would that be?” Tucker questioned with a smirk and a shrug.

Sam looked Technus up and down, until he saw what appeared to be a cable sticking out of his back. His purple eyes followed the length of the cable until it disappeared behind yet another mountain of rubbish. With a determined visage, and without turning to Tucker, Sam said: “I’m gonna see where that cable leads. You keep looking for the Thermos.” And before Tucker could protest, the goth teen jogged in the direction of the cable. He jumped over small heaps and climbed over a disused truck, and along the way heard the geeky ghost’s cackle reverberate off the endless valley of waste. He looked over his shoulder again, witnessing his best friend’s feeble attempts and frustrated retaliations. Sam wished he could do more; he wished he could rush right over and knock Technus down a few pegs. He knew he was no match for Technus, and that he would only be in the way, but despite that, he longed to be of more use to Dani.

He reassured himself that whatever he found at the end of the cable would be help enough, and set himself back on his way. Leaping over yet another pile he saw it; a generator. It was most likely to keep the dump lit and give power to the incinerator. Sam jogged closer, and followed the cable to the side of the generator, where it led to an outlet.

            “I am **not** going to let Tucker live this down,” Sam stated with a grin.

He reached for the plug in and tugged with all his might. After the third pull, Sam yanked it right out of the socket. Numerous sparks spit out of the outlet, and suddenly all the lights flickered. Sam let out a proud “Ha!” and ran back to Tucker.

Technus turned to the generator, and yelled in indignation.

“No! This cannot be! You cannot defeat me, children!”

The young heroine glared as she dove for Technus’s chest once more.

“It’s over, Technus! You’re through!” she declared as she landed a forceful punch to the center of his chest, finally breaking it open. As Technus wailed, this mechanical marvel started breaking away; the entire chest broke apart like chunks of a poptart and without that to hold the arms in place, they too fell away. The ghostly green aura left the parts as they hit the ground, and they swiftly dissolved back into their original states. Then the legs crumbled, with all the appliances returning to normal as well. Technus’s head popped off the neck, which was pretty much nonexistent already, and landed atop a mound of old newspapers. The red of the eyes died out, leaving a dull grey in its place.

The geeky ghost lay amongst the useless tech and other appliances. He sat up and held his head as Dani walked over to him, furrowing her brow.

“I do not understand! How were you able to stop me?” Technus asked in complete disillusion.

“Perhaps you should consider going wireless,” Dani commented.  

Sam came running over, with Tucker in tow. In her hand was the Fenton Thermos, now covered in dirt and an old banana peel. She shook it off once she and Sam reached their friend.

“Sorry it took so long, dude.”

“It’s alright. Better late then never.”

“I don’t think so, child,” Technus began. “You cannot seal me again in that ludicrous contraption! For I am Technus, Master of anything technological! You may have surprised me once, but know that I know you employ a device such as that, I can use it to **my** advantage!”

Technus reached out and his hand became enveloped in the green aura again. The Fenton Thermos adopted the same aura, which made Technus cackle. Tucker and Sam backed away in shock, readying themselves for another onslaught. Dani held the Thermos away from her, and watched as the aura grew bigger and bigger. The geeky ghost displayed his teeth with a wide smile and closed his fist.

“This is the end, ghost child,” he decreed.

The Fenton Thermos blasted the aura in every direction, but nothing happened. In a matter of seconds, Technus’s aura faded away completely, leaving the poor ghost in a state of utter bewilderment.

“But I---I don’t understand! How is this possible?!”

“Because this is Fenton Technology, Technus,” Dani proclaimed. “It’s engineered to fend off ghosts, so its **protected** from them, too.

“B-but---”

“That’s right! And its far superior to the lackluster junk you use,” Tucker mocked.

“Don’t you dare insult me, human child! I am the Master of all Things Technological and Mechanical! I do not use ‘junk’!”

“Well, this stuff certainly didn’t get you very far, now did it?” Sam teased.

“But I can tell you where it did get you,” Dani started. “Right back into the ghost zone!”

The young girl opened the Thermos, and Technus was sucked inside once again. He cried and protested, but in the end, he stood no chance against the power the Thermos held. Once he was tucked away, Dani capped the Thermos and let out a long sigh.

“Thanks for the assist, guys. I couldn’t have caught him without your help.”

“No biggie,” Tucker replied.

“Of course, Dani. We’re your friends. We’re always here for you,” Sam said, placing a supportive hand on Dani’s shoulder.

The ghost girl returned her friend’s kind expressions, smiling brightly. Taking both Sam and Tucker under her arms, she flew them back into town, ready to tackle the new Crash Nebula game at the arcade.

           

*****************

 

Dani stood before the ghost portal, Fenton Thermos in hand. She slipped the Thermos into a rectangular holster attached to the right of the portal’s door. Applying a little pressure, she pushed the Thermos down a few inches, hearing a click. Then the doors to the ghost portal parted, and Technus appeared in the center of the spiraling ectoplasm. Just like the water in a toilet, he spun around with the spiral until he was gone from view, leaving nothing but the energy of the ghost zone.

The heroine pulled the Thermos out of its cup-holder looking slot and tucked it under her hoodie. Couldn’t have mom or dad see her with it so carelessly, now could she?

She started walking back to the stairs when her phone vibrated. Stopping, she stood still.

It continued to vibrate.

 _Is Vlad calling me again?_  

It was difficult to contain her excitement. Dani took out her phone and felt the quivering sensation in her warming palm. She flipped it open with her other hand and saw the contact’s name on the screen.

Her smile grew. 

“Hello?” she said, sounding as calm as possible.

“Danielle? You shouldn’t hang up on people like that. It’s rude,” Vlad scolded.

“I’m sorry. Technus appeared and I had to take care of him, which I did,” she bragged, only slightly.

“Technus? Ah yes, the tech ghost.”

“You’ve heard of him?”

“Indeed,” Vlad began. “He’s a fearsome foe when accompanied by the last technology. I’m aware that Axion Labs has a branch in Amity Park. I assume he was after something there?”

“I’m not sure. All he said was he wanted to take control of the world wide web to take over the world.”

“I see. Well, I’m glad you’re safe.”

“Honestly, he wasn’t that hard to fight. At least, not the first time I fought him. Back at the dump though, he had this huge body made out of all the electronics we threw out and others that had been thrown out. It was kinda tricky, but Sam realized that he was plugged in and, you know, unplugged him.”

“Sam?”

“Sam Manson, a friend of mine. I’ve know him for like, forever.”

Silence.

“Uh, Vlad? Oh, are you thinking again?” Dani asked playfully.

Still no response.

“Hello? Vlad? You still there?” she asked, concern growing in the bottom of her stomach.

“It is nothing, Danielle, forgive me.” he responded rather curtly.

“Oh…O.K.”

“I already told you I should be in Amity Park by next week, but I think I could move in a bit sooner.”

“Yeah?”

“Yes. I’ve already started packing. The house is also already in order, so there is no real reason for me to remain here for another three or four days.”

“That’s awesome! When do you think you’ll be out of there?”

“Tonight, at the latest.”

“Tonight? But its already 4 o’clock.” Dani remarked in near astonishment.

“I work quickly,” he replied smugly.

“I bet,” she said, leaning against the wall, smile plastered on her face. Not having to wait as long lifted her already high spirits. First, she kicked a powerful ghost’s butt, and now she was receiving news that her crush would be in Amity Park in a day or two, which was beyond gratifying. All in all, Dani would say this was a very good day.

“I can’t wait to see you, little badger. It’ll be nice to talk to you in person again. I had such a great time the last time we spoke.”

“Y-yeah. I agree,” Dani said, blush rising on her cheeks.

“And we can finally start training you properly. Now, remember what I said; you need to set some time aside to work with your abilities in order to appropriately hown them.”

Dani nodded. “Yeah, I know. I will.”

“Good. We can’t have you falling behind.”

“I’ll try to spare some time after school tomorrow.”

“That sounds perfect, Danielle.”

She giggled. “You know what’s even more perfect?”

“What?” Dani practically heard the smile accompanying his words.

_You. Your hair, your voice, your kindness._

“The fact that you’ll be here soon! I can’t wait to show you around. I could take you to my favorite hangout, have you meet Tucker and Sam, and show you where all the fun things in town are!” Dani explained.

“I assume Tucker is another friend?” Vlad asked, uncertain.

“Yeah, she’s really cool too.”

The young heroine could have sworn she heard a sigh come from the other end.

“It’s good to hear you have reliable friends, Danielle. I assume you told them about your powers?”

“Yeah. How did you know?”

“Please. You’re a teenager, with a life changing secret and ghost hunters as parents. You’re not that hard to figure out either,”

“Heh. I supposed so,” Dani responded, rubbing the back of her head awkwardly.

“I’m glad that you are looking forward to this move so much. It sounds like you’ll have a full itinerary for me when I get there.”

“You’ll see! Amity Park is pretty cool, if you know where to go,” she stated.

“I can think of one place I’d like to go,” Vlad suggested.

Luckily, Dani didn’t pick up on it. “Well, let me know and I can take you there.”

“There is no need to rush, Danielle. All in good time. I’m sure I’ll be acquainted with everything soon enough.”

“You’re right. I just can’t wait! It’ll be so much fun! And I can’t wait for you to show me that duplicating trick of yours.”

“Yes, well, that will take some time for you to master, but I believe you can do it.”

The teenager held a fist to her chest, happiness warming her entire body. She closed her eyes and smiled into the phone once again. The more she talked to him, the more her heart pounded and the greater she felt. It was uncomfortable at first, but she was finding that she was liking the bittersweet feeling she had whenever they talked. For Dani, it was like she couldn’t wait to hear from Vlad again, but at the same time, when she did she was extremely nervous and giddy. The heroine loved when he spoke softly, right in her ear, causing her stomach to flutter. She adored his laugh, which warmed her heart so much she thought it would melt. And she loved his deep voice, and the way it resounded in her mind long after he had spoken. If she could, Dani would listen to him over the phone for all eternity.     

“Alright, I’ll talk to you later. I have to get back to packing,” Vlad said.

“W-wait!” Dani panicked.

“Yes? What is it?”

“Uh…do you have to, you know, go so soon?” Dani asked, not wanting the conversation to end. She wanted to hear him for just a little bit longer. 

Vlad laughed. “I’m afraid I must, little badger. I’ll call you again when I’m on my way to Amity Park.”

“O.K.” Dani sighed.

“Good evening,” he said softly, causing Dani’s stomach to dance.

“L-later,” she said in a near whisper. She remained still and after a second, then she heard a click on the other end. Letting out a disappointed groan, the young heroine made her way back upstairs.


End file.
